Announcements

• The Buckeye Institute is representing a brand new client—Eric Flannery—who was forced to close down his popular burger joint (The Big Board) after DC recently suspended both his liquor license and operating license because he welcomed all customers regardless of their vaccination status. Eric and Buckeye’s Robert Alt recently joined Fox & Friends to discuss the case.

• The Institute for Reforming Government announced an expansion of its community outreach efforts with the addition of US Army Veteran Jason Church. Serving as the Community Outreach Fellow, Jason will play a pivotal role in strengthening IRG’s ties to reform-minded, conservative activists across the state, connecting the policy to the people it serves.  

• Kyle Wingfield, CEO of Georgia Public Policy Foundation, has been named to Atlanta Magazine’s 500 Most Powerful Leaders in 2020.

• The Mackinac Center announced the launch of the Frank Beckmann Center for Journalism—a new project that will keep citizens informed and hold government accountable with accurate news and analysis. The Center will help amplify Mackinac’s existing work, including their reporting, transparency and story-telling. New projects like Mackinac on Michigan, a monthly radio show on WJR, will be part of the Center as well.

• The Mississippi Center for Public Policy began a critical campaign, which includes a new video, against the Mississippi Senate’s “tax plan,” as lawmakers have presented a 4% rate elimination on the income tax (one which barely anyone pays) and a $5 decrease in new car tag prices. This is opposed to the House’s “Mississippi Tax Freedom Act of 2022,” which will completely phase out the state’s income tax over a period of some years.

• Pelican Institute revealed the agenda for their 2022 Solutions Summit.

This Week on SPN.org

State Policy Network Honors The Memory Of P.J. O’Rourke

Success Stories 

• The Oregon Legislature is considering a bill that expands the duties of Oregon Government Ethics Commission to conduct investigations, make findings, and impose penalties for violations of public meetings law. The Cascade Policy Institute testified in support of the bill.

• The Commonwealth Foundation highlighted how Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a series of reforms that will empower public sector workers and defend taxpayers.

• The Hawaii Legislature is considering a bill that would prohibit the governor or mayor from suspending requests for public records or vital statistics during a declared state of emergency. The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii noted the legislation is a good start toward protecting civil rights and open government during an emergency.

• Kansas lawmakers are considering a bill that would establish greater legislative oversight regarding executive branch regulations. The Kansas Policy Institute noted the bill is a solid step towards healthy regulatory reform that will make Kansas more competitive and provide new opportunities for Kansas families.

• The Utah Legislature is considering the Hope Scholarship—a program that puts parents in control of the amount of money each child is assigned in the base budget for education. The Libertas Institute expressed their support for the bill and noted most parents support funding students and not systems.

• The Nebraska Legislature passed a bill which reduces Nebraska’s county-levied inheritance tax. The Platte Institute noted the Legislature took a good first step that will modernize Nebraska’s county inheritance tax and prevent more families and businesses from having to pay inheritance tax.

Solutions from the states: This week’s policy briefs

Learning for Self-Government: A K–12 Civics Report Card
A new study published jointly by Pioneer Institute and the National Association of Scholars offers in-depth evaluations of 15 leading civics programs, grades them on their effectiveness, and offers recommendations for how Americans should build upon these programs.

Policy News From The States

Checking in on Legislative Sessions

Statement regarding executive order reducing vehicle tax rates, sales tax proposal
Bluegrass Institute

IRG Action Urges Lawmakers to Support School Choice for All, Empowering Parents, & Breaking-up MPS
Institute for Reforming Government

Education

Transparency in public education – a parental right – a state obligation
Caesar Rodney Institute

Parents win again, this time in San Francisco 
Empower Mississippi 

“The students of the State of Mississippi are starving for innovation” 
Empower Mississippi 

Less Illinois School Bureaucracy Would Help Students Achieve
Illinois Policy

How Illinois Schools Are Using $7.9B In Covid-19 Aid 
Illinois Policy

A Victory for Free Speech on Campus 
ITR Foundation

Support the Hope Scholarship bill 
Libertas Institute

Families Should be Able to Choose the Best Educational Fit for Their Kids 
Mackinac Center

Governor’s Budget Downgrades Charter Schools 
Mackinac Center

Driving Students Away Reaps Benefit For Public Schools 
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

The Fight for Greater Transparency in Public Schools
Pacific Research Institute

Parents Have a Right to Know
Show-Me Institute

Parents have every right to know what their kids are being taught 
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Energy And Environment

Local governments seeking to ban natural gas are willfully ignoring Oregon voters
Cascade Policy Institute

Why the lights didn’t go off for the 2022 winter storm 
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Election Integrity

Proposal Would Leave Incumbent Protection Program In Place 
Idaho Freedom Foundation

Electronic Voting Undermines Trust, Election Integrity 
Nevada Policy Research Institute

Government Accountability

Cooper Order Tries to Circumvent State Environmental Rulemaking 
John Locke Foundation

Moving students past the ‘there oughta be a law!’ reflex 
Mackinac Center

Transparency as a Political Principle 
Pacific Research Institute

Healthcare

The Human Costs of Covid-related Medicaid Expansion 
The Foundation for Government Accountability

Bait-and-switch: Idahoans Were Misled On Obamacare Expansion And Are Getting A Raw Deal 
The Foundation for Government Accountability

How the FDA Made Me Move to Italy to Save My Daughter’s Life 
Goldwater Institute

It’s Time for a Healthcare Reform Checkup 
ITR Foundation

Housing Affordability

St. Paul residents already seeing negative consequences of the city’s rent control policy. 
Center for the American Experiment

Inflation

Nebraskanomics: Ernie Goss & Erin Norman On Inflation 
Platte Institute

Jobs And State Economies

How to reform occupational licensing laws in Minnesota
Center of the American Experiment

How North Carolina Has Led The Nation With Unemployment Indexing 
The Foundation for Government Accountability

Illinois’ Leisure And Hospitality Industry Least Recovered in Midwest, 7th Worst in The Nation 
Illinois Policy

Michigan Food Delivery Drivers Don’t Need New Government Mandates 
Mackinac Center

Mississippi can open the door to home-based businesses 
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

State Budgets And Spending

‘Double jeopardy’ tax policy: Fix it or end it 
Bluegrass Institute

The explosive growth of Minnesota’s free food industry 
Center of the American Experiment 

Goldwater Files Response Brief in Halstead Bead v. Lewis 
Goldwater Institute

Strong Fiscal Rules Lead to Better Tax Policy 
ITR Foundation

Five Principles for Local Government 
John Locke Foundation

State Tax Revenues Multiply 
John Locke Foundation

Ideas for ARPA and Kansas Revenue Cash Pile 
Kansas Policy Institute 

FGA – Reporting That Works: Change Reporting Vs. Simplified Reporting – Reporting That Works: Change Reporting Vs. Simplified Reporting 
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Tax Cut Or Tax Con? The Senate And House Tax Plans Compared 
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Unicameral Approves Inheritance Tax Cut 
Platte Institute

Other

The Bad Policy Idea That Just Won’t Die
Alaska Policy Forum

Members of Congress Defend Independent Workers 
Mackinac Center

The Cultural Attack On Free Speech 
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Regulation Always Comes at a Cost to Someone 
Goldwater Institute

Think Tanks In The News

Public Sector Unions versus the First Amendment
Alaska Policy Forum in RealClearPolicy

Black students benefit in charter-school states
Bluegrass Institute in the Bowling Green Daily News

One Lesson From Kentucky’s Devastating Tornadoes: Build A Strong Rainy Day Fund 
Bluegrass Institute in Lexington Herald Leader

Bar In Washington D.C. Fights For Liquor License As COVID Mandates End
The Buckeye Institute on Fox News’ Fox & Friends

Give Students a Chance. Remove Restrictions on GED Testing.
Cascade Policy Institute in RealClearPolicy

Mississippi Can Open The Door To Home-Based Businesses
Empower Mississippi in The Dispatch

Union Forgeries Reveal Systemic Corruption Requiring Court Review
Freedom Foundation at RedState

More Sunshine Would Help Combat Corruption In Hawaii Legislature
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii in the Hawaii Reporter

Let Parents Into The Classroom — Virtually
Independence Institute in The Gazette

This Year, State Governments Can Put Their Fiscal Houses in Order
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation in National Review

Iowa’s Tax Rates Matter
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation in the Quad City-Times

Worker Shortage Won’t End Soon
John Locke Foundation in The Pilot

When Schools Compete, Students Win
John Locke Foundation in The Laurinburg Exchange

Support The Hope Scholarship Bill
Libertas Institute in the Deseret News

Michigan Health Care Needs Competition, Not Consolidation
Mackinac Center in the Lansing State Journal

The Covid State is Crumbling. State Legislatures Must Continue to Curb Emergency Executive Power
Maine Policy Institute in RealClearPolicy

Hogan’s Crime Plan Isn’t A Silver Bullet, But It Would Stem The Bloodshed
Maryland Public Policy Institute in The Washington Post

Blue State Parents Turn To Home Schooling
Pacific Research Institute in the Washington Examiner

Failing Public Schools Motivate More Black Families to Homeschool
Pacific Research Institute in RealClearEducation

Biden’s Efforts to Re-Fund Police Won’t Be Enough To Reverse Rising Violence
Pegasus Institute in Townhall

Four Big Reasons Not To Confirm Biden’s Fed Nominee Sarah Bloom Raskin
Texas Public Policy Foundation at Fox Business Online

Events and Opportunities

Please see SPN’s Network Calendar for a full list of events.